LEXINGTON, OH(July 21, 2014) - Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing wrapped up the penultimate round of the 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championships at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, with two podium finishes and two top-five results. Because the double-header weekend was plagued by rain all day on Saturday, both Superbike races were run on Sunday. But Yoshimura Suzuki riders Roger Hayden, Martin Cardenas and Chris Clark were more than up to the challenge.

Despite very limited track time, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Roger Hayden came through, and then some. After losing Saturday to the weather, the AMA shortened the 21-lap Superbike races to 16 laps each. In both of Sunday’s events, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Hayden got good starts and battled up front before finishing third in each race.

“At the beginning of both races I felt pretty good,” Hayden said. “But toward the midway point, I made some mistakes trying to keep up with the other guys. But overall, I’m glad to get two podiums this weekend. I want to thank the whole Yoshimura Suzuki crew for doing an awesome job for me, as always. But we want to win races so we’re not completely satisfied with third. We have some time off, so we’ll do our homework and come back and finish the season off strong in New Jersey.”

Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Cardenas had a good first race on Sunday morning, battling with teammate Hayden early on before finishing a respectable fourth. In the second race, however, Cardenas crashed within the first few laps and was unable to finish the race.

“The first race was not what I wanted,” Cardenas said. “We were hoping to get on the podium. I was going good, but then I had a few moments with the bike and almost high-sided three times in a lap and a half, I so slowed down and I ended up fourth. In race two, we made some changes, and the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working good for the first few laps. Then, when I was on the brakes, I hit a small bump and lost the front end and that was the end of my race. I’m pretty disappointed with that, but now we’ll get ready for New Jersey and try to do better.”

Meanwhile, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Clark was the picture of consistency at Mid-Ohio. He turned in two solid performances in both races, finishing sixth in the first event and fifth in the second.

“It’s tough when you haven’t had much track time,” Clark said. “I just tried to get up to speed as quickly as possible. In the first race, I focused on putting in solid laps and was able to get up to sixth. I had a little better start in the second race and we had a pretty good pace. I was happy to bounce back from Laguna and finish in the top five. Now I’m looking forward to New Jersey and finishing in the top five for the year.”

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s next event is the final round of the 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championships during the weekend of September 13 - 14, at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ.

2014 Mid-Ohio Superbike Results, Race 1:

1. Cameron Beaubier

2. Josh Hayes

3. Roger Hayden

4. Martin Cardenas

5. Chris Fillmore

6. Chris Clark

7. David Anthony

8. Larry Pegram

9. Chris Ulrich

10. Frankie Babuska

2014 Mid-Ohio Superbike Results, Race 2:

1. Josh Hayes

2. Cameron Beaubier

3. Roger Hayden

4. Chris Fillmore

5. Chris Clark

6. Taylor Knapp

7. David Anthony

8. Chris Ulrich

9. Cory West

10. Frankie Babuska

2014 Superbike Standings:

1. Josh Hayes – 230

2. Cameron Beaubier – 190

3. Roger Hayden – 176

4. David Anthony – 159

5. Chris Clark – 148

6. Martin Cardenas – 126

7. Chris Fillmore – 119

8. Cory West – 101

9. Bernat Martinez – 80

10. Larry Pegram – 71

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.

SUZUKI SOCIAL

For your safety, always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing when riding any motorcycle or ATV. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Study your owner's manual and always inspect your Suzuki before riding. Take a riding skills course. For the MSF street course nearest you, call 1-800-446-9227. Off-road riders can enroll in the DirtBike SchoolSM by calling 1-877-288-7093. ATV riders can call the SVIA at 1-800-852-5344 and we’ll even pay for the training. Suzuki engineered the GSX-Rs™, Hayabusa, and the QuadSport Z400 for experienced riders.

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